3rd RSP. Put on your game face.

March 6th, 2011, 08:29 PM

Day 1: Hmmm...where should I begin? We-Got-Smoked. We show up for drill expecting a routine weekend and got something a little bit different. 5 fully dressed drill sergeants shake us down as soon as we fall in. We're introduced to the DS's and commence to our routine warm-up drill except people that weren't tight--and I mean tight--with their form got their eardrums caved in.

We proceed to the push-ups and sit-ups except this time we're told that our entire drill weekend will take place in a full BCT routine. Bad sit-ups and push-ups didn't count and poor form was an automatic disqualification. I easily passed both.

We fall in again and the DS's check our form as we perform exercises again. Poor form caused you to get blasted and smoked while you're being blasted. Throughout the first half of the day we got smoked every time we had fall in at the drill hall. We got put on blast the whole time we ran our two mile. I felt guilty for missing two days of working out, so I worked the elliptical machine at 80% speed for 30 minutes the Friday before drill. So, needless to say, I overtrained and didn't allow myself enough recoup time. I shaved my first mile down to 7 minutes but I got slower with 9 mins 30 secs the second mile this time around. My quadriceps had no energy the last half of the 2nd mile to power through like I did last month.

After hygiene we broke off into routine sessions. Between sessions we got smoked by the NCOs because they felt we were disrespecting them--which was the case. Every time one of the NCOs told a group of kids to hustle to do something they would only walk. When I say we got smoked we REALLY got smoked to the point where even I was beginning to fatigue. The younger trainees were hurting and got smoked individually more intensely--even the BCT graduates got smoked. Usually, at the end of the day the NCO briefs us on what's going to happen--normally, we only do PT one day and class sessions the next day but not this time. Tomorrow we run a series of 30/60 intervals and full-out sprints up the side of the mountain.

Day 2: We get smoked first thing in the morning after having to fall in over and over a dozen times because the younger trainees couldn't tighten up fast enough. We speed through our warm-up exercises then commenced to forming for a full platoon march that turned into a double time march for a mile. Next, we performed 10 interval laps (30 seconds full sprint and 60 seconds to walk) at a 25 yard stretch. There was no down time when we switched from interval training to the uphill sprints except for the time it took to listen to instructions on how to sprint up the hill. By the second lap my legs turned into rubber. As if that wasn't enough, we immediately marched back to the drill hall double time.

We got smoked periodically throughout the day because some kids refused to double-time it everywhere they went in the drill hall. One thing I freakin' hate, speaking as a veteran educator, is kids that don't understand the concept of respecting authority, so the whole detachment got smoked because of it. By the middle of the day I had murderous shin splints and my calves felt like rocks.

Day 1: Hmmm...where should I begin? We-Got-Smoked. One thing I freakin' hate, speaking as a veteran educator, is kids that don't understand the concept of respecting authority, so the whole detachment got smoked because of it.

When you go to BCT, you'll find that all people, whether they're 17 or 41....are capable of acting like this and worse.

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Got to go with what Steve put out. Smoke or CAPE (whatever its called these days), is not **********. Its pointing out a situation that could be better. Early in military careers its designed as a eye opener. Nobody is above anyone else. Mainly its to create team work/ability. I always enjoyed the early days when a superior would tell my platoon, that we did a great job, top notch, Half Right Face.. We did it as a team, and it built unity. Its not a PT competition, it shows that you can go much futher than you thought you could. You live as a team, and you fail as a team. Drive forward, and achieve, reach for the braches that seem out of reach but are much closer than they appear.

Got to go with what Steve put out. Smoke or CAPE (whatever its called these days), is not **********. Its pointing out a situation that could be better. Early in military careers its designed as a eye opener. Nobody is above anyone else. Mainly its to create team work/ability. I always enjoyed the early days when a superior would tell my platoon, that we did a great job, top notch, Half Right Face.. We did it as a team, and it built unity. Its not a PT competition, it shows that you can go much futher than you thought you could. You live as a team, and you fail as a team. Drive forward, and achieve, reach for the braches that seem out of reach but are much closer than they appear.

I understand where you're coming from. Also, it isn't my intention to sound like I'm above anyone else. When you've taught the entire spectrum, from children to young adults (K-12) for nearly 20 years, if you have a type-A personality like me, you develop a drill sergeant-like mentality in order to survive and overcome in the process of providing an above average education to thousands of students. Otherwise, today's kids will eat you alive, and I have seen co-workers crash and burn. I sincerely try hard not to let my instincts bleed off into RSP drill, though, I've had opportunities to help a kid or two out when we have to do something as battle buddies. In addition, there were a couple of kids that surprised me--I've noticed some of the silliness is no longer present by their third drill. When my legs started feeling like marsh mellows the last half of the second mile, a high school senior stepped up to encourage me to push forward. I've helped a couple push forward at times myself.

I appreciated my NCO's brining in extra drill sergeants this past weekend. I was pushed harder this drill than the past drills, as the NCO's are working hard and improving RSP. I feel even more proud that I survived it--I pushed forward instead of giving up. I've had worse shin splints at rugby practice back in college, to the point where I couldn't sleep at night yet I still played on, so I know I can push myself even harder. I've gotten stronger and lost 2 more inches off of my waistline. April 2nd and 3rd will be my last drill before I ship to Ft. Benning 5 april. My final goal will be to run a perfect 14 minute two mile--I'm dropping all free weights and doing nothing but running, sit-ups, and push-ups. HOOAH!!

Comment

Got to go with what Steve put out. Smoke or CAPE (whatever its called these days), is not **********. Its pointing out a situation that could be better. Early in military careers its designed as a eye opener. Nobody is above anyone else. Mainly its to create team work/ability. I always enjoyed the early days when a superior would tell my platoon, that we did a great job, top notch, Half Right Face.. We did it as a team, and it built unity. Its not a PT competition, it shows that you can go much futher than you thought you could. You live as a team, and you fail as a team. Drive forward, and achieve, reach for the braches that seem out of reach but are much closer than they appear.

Just remember that this is the Army and this is how things are done initially. To some, it might be most of the time . Most of the respondees are vets and have experienced what you wrote dozens of times over so your remarks are nothing new. Just stay motivated, be that team player that pushes your team because of your maturity and experience. This is just RSP, not BCT/AIT or combat. Each level brings a new awareness.

It was actually fun. The added PT helped me to gauge my overall endurance better. This time around, a trainee really got the true meaning of "bend not break." This time around, the NCO stepped back and gave us a straight hour to mess around with the M4. Being told and shown how to do something is one thing but being given the time to actually analyze the individual parts of the rifle is how I learn (visual/kinesthetic learner).

This time there were more class sessions where we learned more about first aid and how to deal with various wounds as well as having BCT graduates instruct us on how to perform more like a polished soldier once you get to basic--subject matter like calling a rifle a rifle and not a gun, how to hold the rifle when preparing to shoot sitting and standing etc.

I don't want to make this post unecessarily long but I've learned so much already through RSP that I'm eternally greatful for having selected the ARNG instead of any other component or branch of the armed forces. Having Pfc's graduate from BCT and come back to tell us that ARNG soldiers always cycle first over reserves and AD Army because of the RSP training is galvanizing to my spirit.

Just remember that this is the Army and this is how things are done initially. To some, it might be most of the time . Most of the respondees are vets and have experienced what you wrote dozens of times over so your remarks are nothing new. Just stay motivated, be that team player that pushes your team because of your maturity and experience. This is just RSP, not BCT/AIT or combat. Each level brings a new awareness.

Roger that. Again, I don't mean to sound like I feel I'm above anyone. It just feels akward because it is just RSP and I don't want to come out looking like an @ss passing out orders when we don't even have ACU's yet. I'm still learning myself. I'm still motivated and even more motivated now.

Comment

It was actually fun. The added PT helped me to gauge my overall endurance better. This time around, a trainee really got the true meaning of "bend not break." This time around, the NCO stepped back and gave us a straight hour to mess around with the M4. Being told and shown how to do something is one thing but being given the time to actually analyze the individual parts of the rifle is how I learn (visual/kinesthetic learner).

This time there were more class sessions where we learned more about first aid and how to deal with various wounds as well as having BCT graduates instruct us on how to perform more like a polished soldier once you get to basic--subject matter like calling a rifle a rifle and not a gun, how to hold the rifle when preparing to shoot sitting and standing etc.

I don't want to make this post unecessarily long but I've learned so much already through RSP that I'm eternally greatful for having selected the ARNG instead of any other component or branch of the armed forces. Having Pfc's graduate from BCT and come back to tell us that ARNG soldiers always cycle first over reserves and AD Army because of the RSP training is galvanizing to my spirit.

When I was in RSP, they let us mess around with the M4 and the M249B also.

But one day they took us to watch people training on the Artillery, and that is when my love affair with Artillery began.

thanks for all of your threads Viceroy, its really eye opening for me to gauge how i will need to step up my training for when I begin getting ready to enlist.

You got it man--may as well get geared up and develop the mindset. No matter what happens when you go through the enlistment process the three things that will help you out the most is patience, knowing how to listen, and initiative. HOOAH!!